A traditional database management system (DBMS) stores data in tables with the tables containing rows and columns of data. A column of data is generally of a particular type, such as “name,” “address,” etc. while the rows generally pertain to a record, such as a particular customer. Software applications use data manipulation instructions, such as the Structured Query Language (SQL) to insert, extract, or manipulate data in database tables. Because database tables often contain vast amounts of data, reducing the size of a particular column, or eliminating it altogether, can sometimes dramatically reduce the size of a particular table. Columns cannot, however, be eliminated from traditional database tables without impacting software applications that access the table and reference the column of data.